Politics & Government

First Selectman on Congress: 'Shame on Them'

New Canaan's highest elected official blasts federal lawmakers for what he called a lack of courage in making difficult decisions, as the nation faces the possibility of $85 billion in forced cuts later this week.

 

Citing everyday workers’ courage to make difficult decisions under extraordinary circumstances—including emergency responders and educators in Newtown—New Canaan’s highest elected official on Monday blasted federal lawmakers whose inability to settle differences may lead to vast spending cuts.

First Selectman Rob Mallozzi told Patch (see video) that Congress needs to summon the strength many citizens show every day to avoid the estimated $85 billion in cuts that are expected to have serious consequences on programs and services on which people rely.

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Shame on them,” Mallozzi said.

In Connecticut, funding for schools, disabled children, work study programs and federal Head Start services would be directly and immediately affected if lawmakers cannot reach an agreement, according to a report released Sunday by the White House (attached as PDF). The report is intended to pressure Republicans into accepting new revenues “as part of a deal to prevent the sequester from taking effect,” according to the Huffington Post.

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A White House blog describes the problem this way: “To prevent a costly, self-inflicted wound to our economy and middle class families, President Obama put forward a plan to avoid these cuts and reduce the deficit by cutting spending and closing tax loopholes.”

The cuts would start taking hold March 1.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here